Mennonite Church Canada • Assembly 2012 • Vancouver, BC • July 12-July 15 ASSEMBLY 2012 PROGRAM BOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS Assembly planners ...............................................................2 Detailed schedule .................................................................7 Thank you ...........................................................................3 Workshops .........................................................................12 General information .............................................................4 Sheraton Airport Hotel map ................................................19 Additional details ................................................................5 Local amenities ..................................................................21 Special meals .......................................................................5 Schedule ............................................................................22 Speakers ..............................................................................6 Evaluation form ...................................................................23 AcRONYMS Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary ........................AMBS Mennonite Church British Columbia...............................MCBC Being a Faithful Church .................................................... BFC Mennonite Church Alberta ...............................................MCA Canadian Mennonite University .......................................CMU Mennonite Church Saskatchewan ..............................MC Sask Conrad Grebel University College...................................CGUC Mennonite Church Manitoba ..........................................MCM Columbia Bible College ....................................................CBC Mennonite Church Eastern Canada ................................MCEC Faith and Life Committee ...................................................FLC Sing the Journey ................................................................ STJ Hymnal Worship Book .....................................................HWB Sing the Song ....................................................................STS WELCOME On behalf of Mennonite Church Canada, the assembly planning team (Vic Thiessen, Megan Kamei, Coreena von Kampen) and the MCBC planning team (Garry Janzen, Janette Thiessen, Iris Leung & Charlotte Epp), I welcome you to the 2012 Assembly of Mennonite Church Canada. This year our assembly will be experimenting with a unique format, focusing on a study conference led by the Faith and Life Committee and including only one evening of business. The theme for our study conference is “Dusting off the Bible for the 21st Century.”At a time when many outside of the Mennonite church are looking to the Anabaptist expression of faith for ways to make Christianity relevant in the 21st century, it is critical that we reinvigorate our reading and interpretation of scripture. With the guidance and insights of keynote speakers, Gerald Gerbrandt, Tom Yoder Neufeld, and Sheila Klassen-Wiebe, and humourist, Ted Swartz, I hope we can learn to read the Bible with fresh eyes for our time and discover a new delight in scripture. Our study conference includes two sessions on the Being a Faithful Church process during which we will reflect together on how we understand scripture. This exercise will guide us in our ongoing discernment process. Worship, Bible studies, dramatic comedy presentations, discernment sessions, workshops, meals, refreshments, and opportunities for fellowship await you. In addition to our coming together, this assembly also offers you a prayer room to become quiet and ground yourself in God. Next door to the prayer room, you will find the art space and the residential healing pole project. The art space displays various kinds of scripture-based artworks submitted by artists from across the country. The residential healing pole project is where you will have an opportunity to carve the healing pole and have conversation with the indigenous artist, Isadore Charters. We hope and pray that God’s healing and hope will flow through us to the world as we work together to explore the relevance of scripture for a troubled world. Many staff and volunteers have worked hard to prepare for these days together as a gathered national church. I trust your assembly experience will be a rich one. Vic Thiessen Chief Administrative Officer 1 July 12-15 ASSEMBLY PLANNERS Mennonite Church Canada Staff Leadership Name of Staff Program Area Area of involvement Bergen, Lois Formation On site payments, delegate certificates Dirks, Ray Formation Art space exhibit Dyck, Dan Communications Communications, direction, promotion, assembly document editor, daily news sheet editor, photographer Bergen, Lois Formation On site payments, delegate certificates Froese, Deb Communications Feature writer, daily news sheet coordinator, editor, photographer Kamei, Megan Communications, Events Coordinator Document design, administration, promotion and marketing Klassen, Grant Communications Multi-media assistance, web editor Martens Zimmerly, Karen Formation Theme, workshop, worship planning Plett, Leanne Operations Assembly document proofreader and data entry Redekop, Alf Formation Van driver, multi-media assistance Rempel, Elsie Formation Prayer room Roth Bartel, Ryan Communications Document design, photographer Thiessen , Vic Administration Budget preparation, venue, general oversight of planning, logistics von Kampen, Coreena Lead Assembly Planner Logistics, planning coordination, registration management MCBC leadership team Faith and Life Commitee (FLC) Garry Janzen - Executive Director, MCBC Rudy Baergen Janette Thiessen - Administrative Assistant, MCBC Betty Pries Arnold Neufeldt-Fast Charlotte Epp - Co-chair of Local Hosting Committee Doug Klassen Iris Leung - Co-chair of Local Hosting Committee Sharon Schultz Karen Martens Zimmerly Volunteer sub-committee coordinators List of exhibitors Charlotte Epp, setup/teardown, information desk, meals, Friday night special event Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary Iris Leung, Treasurer, setup/teardown, transportation/parking, Camp Squeah workshops, young adult beach party, childcare, airport greeting Canadian Mennonite Magazine Canadian Mennonite University Janette Thiessen, Treasurer, setup/teardown, registration/payments Christian Peacemaker Teams John & Frieda Sawatzky, billeting Columbia Bible College Lois Bergen, registration/payments Conscience Canada MAX Canada Insurance & Mutual Aid Ministries Ed Enns, ushering MennoMedia George Goertzen, ushering Mennonite Central Committee Mennonite Creation Care Network Worship Committee Mennonite Disaster Service Mennonite Foundation of Canada Karen Martens Zimmerly Mennonite Men Tim Froese Mennonite Women Canada Tim Kuepfer Mennonite World Conference Gina Hong New Creations Online Ministries Young Yi Rosthern Junion College Vancouver 2012 2 THANK YOU On behalf of Mennonite Church Canada, with all its 225-plus congregations, I thank you for all the hours of service you have graciously given to make Assembly 2012 possible. Some of your work has been exciting and creative, but some has been spent on mundane tasks. All of the work was necessary in order to provide an opportunity for the participants of this year’s assembly to conduct the business of the church and build up and nurture the vocation of the church by worshiping, discerning and learning together. There are many more people who have played a significant role in preparing this assembly for you – both staff and volunteers from Mennonite Church British Columbia. Even though your name may not be listed, we are grateful to you. And finally, it is a blessed opportunity for a national church to learn and discern, worship, sing, pray, and fellowship together. Thank you to each one who attended. THANK YOU and GOD BLESS Vic Thiessen, on behalf of all the planners Chief Administrative Officer Mennonite Church Canada Thank you to the following supporters of this Assembly BUSINESS NOWServices Inc. 1857 West 4th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6J 1M4 www.businessnow.ca | +1 604 738 6727 3 July 12-15 GENERAL INFORMATION TIPS FOR A GOOD EXPERIENCE PRAYER ROOM Keep this program book with you. It has schedules, maps, The Prayer room offers participants a time and space to become quiet, worship outlines and other good things to guide you through ground themselves in God and settle into an awareness of God with your time at the assembly. A daily news sheet will also be us. Elsie Rempel will receive you for a time of guided prayer from 8:00 available in ecologically-friendly hard copy quantities (please – 8:30 on Friday and Saturday morning. The prayer room will also offer share) and online to help you report back to your congregations resources to help you pray on your own. Arrangements will be made (www.mennonitechurch.ca/vancouver2012). to meet for intercessory prayer if that is requested on a signup sheet located in the prayer room. If you’re lost and confused, need first aid, or you are just looking for a friendly face, visit the information desk in the registration ART SPACE area or talk to a volunteer in a green vest. Art is one way to enter into worship and revel in the beauty of Take this opportunity to get to know your sisters and brothers from God’s creation. At Assembly 2012 there will be a mini art gallery other congregations, learn the names of the people around you in where you can enjoy over 20 pieces of art based on scripture from the coffee break line-up,